Flower Garden Lovers

Ideas for Making Water Garden Ponds

Water gardens are a joy to have in your surroundings. There's nothing quite like the sound of water to provide you with a soothing atmosphere. Requirements are few: sunshine for the full day, rich soil and water. And, although there are several plants to use in a water garden, perhaps the most often used are water lilies. Please see our previous article on different types of yellow water lilies.

However, the first thing that must be determined is the kind and the shape of the pool. This depends entirely upon the amount of effort and expense that the gardener is willing to put forth. A very interesting idea for making a water garden, found in the out-of- print book The Complete Book of Garden Magic, can be made of two barrels which will support two lilies, full size, and two tubs of shallow water plants. Procure two large solid barrels, old vinegar barrels if possible. Soak with a strong solution of soda to neutralize the vinegar in the wood. Mark around each barrel where you are going to cut it into two and staple a ring of heavy galvanized wire jut below the cut which should be made about two-thirds up the side of the barrel. (Cut just a few inches below the metal bands at the top of the barrel so they will support the smaller tub.) This will give you a deep tub and a shallow tub. Repeat with the second barrel and then sink the tubs in the ground so that the tops are just below the level of the ground and about six or seven inches apart. Edge each tub with stone to conceal the wood.

Of course, there are also small kidney-shaped plastic tubs available. These can be found at the appropriate time of the year at your local Lowe's type store. Two other methods of creating a pool consist of using plastic liners and reinforced concrete. Depending upon one's soil type, a pool could be made using several inches of well-tamped clay. We created a pool for use by geese using this last method. We dug a hole, of the size, shape and depth desired, and lined it with bentonite. It worked fine for a while but we did not use enough bentonite to form a layer several inches thick and thus the pool did not last.

Lastly, for those with access to farm and ranch supply stores (or use the Internet to order), a pool could be made using a stock water tank or tub. These come in various types of materials. I have observed an interesting water feature made using an oval metal stock tank that incorporated a small water "fall". That is the last touch you may wish to consider incorporating, a small water pump as a means to keep the water moving.

It is advisable that all pools be thirty inches at the deepest part - never less than two feet. Fish will winter at this depth without protection.

© 2005, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson

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